Want to fix US inequality? Start with worming tablets.

[jakeXT]

3. And some people are infecting themselves to cure allergies

Hookworms are ghastly little creatures. Tiny, parasitic, and frighteningly invasive, these wriggling hell-spawn consistently rank among leading causes of morbidity in underdeveloped nations, abound in regions of the world suffering from poor sanitation, and have been described by various epidemiologists as "the American murderer" and the "the great infection of mankind."

But there's a twist; it turns out hookworms are also great for treating food allergies. And irritable bowel syndrome. And asthma. How does an organism that affects over one billion people worldwide, a parasite widely regarded as one of the worst infectious scourges of our time, actually benefit us?

http://io9.com/5933615/why-doctors-are-treating-allergies-with-parasitic-worms